ismlaMfespiFi 



— A- 



HisTOEicAL Poem, 



Rev. Frederic^ Denison. 



Enfranchisement blazed on her banner." 




Of \f^ t,^\W^^^ 

PRINTED BY L. M. GUERNSEY, 
Mystic River, Conn. 

1873. 







/ 1 



B®«l^Uto#PiF* 



{Inm-ihed to STEPHEN RANDALL, ESQ., the 

indefatigable conservaior of tlie memories of 

ROOETi WILLIAMS.) 

By Eev. F. DEXISON. 



Athwart the dark, tumultuous ages, 
Divinely sped, truth wins its way, 

Discerned and heralded by sages — 
Appointed prophets of their day ; — 

Spirits elect, as kingly mountains. 

The first celestial smiles to greet. 
And slake their thirst from heavenly fountains, 

The earth in shadows at their feet. 

But when the cloud-veil rends asunder, 
What splendors crowned the mountain brow, 

Like visions fall, and fill with wonder 
The dwellers in the vales below. 

And oft concealed from ken of mortals 
Are treasures in the wondrous earth; 

But time unbars the mystic portals, 
And brings the priceless jewels forth. 



2 SOUL-LIBERTY. 

Perhaps awhile despised the treasure, 
As some ill-starred, ill-freighted thing', 

Till human needs shall gauge its measure, 
And human weal its triumphs sing. 

To-day soul-freedom w^ins devotion, 
As to some new-born truth men bowed ; 

Yet such was ever Rhody's notion. 
Though ill-received wiien first avowed. 

Whilom, from Bay-State doors ejected, 
Alone through wintry wilds she fled, 

By Priest and Levite disrespected. 
By red-browed pagans cheered and fed. 

By Heaven's anointing consecrated. 
She pledged her refuge in the wood 

Forever sacred dedicated 
To truth and human brotherhood. 

Her trust in Providence unshaken, 

Her charter Inspiration's page. 
Assured the truth w^ould yet awaken 

INIankind to claim their heritage;— 

As when the day-king's glories vernal, 
First kindle on the Northern hills — 

A prophecy, and beam supernal, 
That through earth's bosom sends its thrills. 



SOUL-LIBERTY. 

Enfolding in her heart of kindness, 

All men — barbarians and saints; 
Allowing for man's native blindness, 

Employing only truth's constraints. 

In sorest trials, never shirking 

The services to state-ship due, 
"Whose captain should command the working, 

But not the worship, of the crew. 

Alone to state-control assigning 

The watch of morals, wealth, and life; 

The will and strength of all combining, 
Promoting peace, preventing strife. 

Redeeming worship from its prison 
Where magistracy held the keys; 

Trusting the promised light had risen, 
To overmatch apostacies. 

Depending on the Spirit given, 

Of God, upon the inner shrine. 
Wherewith false faiths have vainly striven, 

As Dagons with the ark divine. 

To such high fellowship exalted, 
She bowed not to a shrine of state, 

Nor in her sacred mission halted, 
Her trusting heart with hope elate. 



4 SOUL-LIBERTV". 

Uiialiened rights in firm possession 
She conscious held, as gift from God, 

To whom alone she made confession, 
Beneatli whose shield she meekly stood. 

Like rights to savages conceded, 

Whose lands with honest price she bought, 
Whose human rank she nobly pleaded, 

Whose highest interests she sought. 

With old Oanonicus unfearing 
8he sat beneath the wigwam's roof. 

The pipe of peace their bosoms cheering, 
Of brotherhood the chosen proof. 

Her hearth-flame free to all her neighbors, 
She never drew her latch-string in, 

Inviting all to share her labors, 
And equal social honors win. 

Binding no conscience of another 
Of rights she asked and gave the same, 

Counting each honest man a brother, 
However he pronounced his name — 

Or Puritan, or broad-brimmed Quaker, 
Or Churchman, fond of book and bands, 

Allowing all to serve their Maker, 
As they translated his commands. 



SOUL-LlBEltTW O 

Hot imaware that some abuses 
Might spring with the imtrameled right,. 

Serene she met all such excuses 

With faith in truth\s superior might;— 

As oaks indeed ai-e slow in growing, 

While thorns quick lift their heads on high, 
Yet oaks, at last, broad shadows throwing, 

Leave bi-amble-growths to pale aaid die- 
She felled her forests, turned her furrows, 

Unstinting sowed the goodly seed, 
And '' Digged^' the Fox "out of his Burrowes/ 

But reared no fence of human creeds 

Of old-times practices punctilious. 

Her enemies maligned her name, 
And, in their manners supercilious, 

Found but occasions for her blame i 

Unduly scrupulous they thought her, 
For following Holy Writ so close;— 

Her churches using so much water, 
Yet holding churchly reins so loose; 

Chagrined because she gave the people, 

As by permission from the Lord, 
The right to pray outside a steeple— 

A license that they much abhorred. 



t) SOL'L-LIHERTV, 

Tliemselres they counted apostolic^ 
The keys of Heaven were in their haud ; 

Dissenting souls were diabolic, 
Fore-doomed as outcasts of the land. 

Thus copying from the laws of Moses, 
They fused in one both church and state, 

Prescribing allopathic doses 
To those who failed to pay the "■ rate." 

In Boston and in Saybrook, bravely 

They reared ecclesiastic forts. 
And, in their saintly wisdom, gravely 

Protruded canans from the ports; — 

Grim instruments of Roman forging 

In smithies of that valiant age 
When converts were secured by scourging. 

And fagots fed a holy rage; 

Ordinance, politico-religious, 

Full charged with thunder of the State, 
For hurling shot and shell prodigious 

Against each non-conformist's pate. 

But every caiion burst on firing, 
Upturning platforms and the fort, 

The frightened cafioniers retiring 
With speed that made their breathing short. 



«i 



'SOUL-LIBERTY. 

Eealoiis for creeds and formularies, 

Ecclesiastics robed in lavr, 
And righteous civil dignitaries, 

A strange and dread liand-writing saw^ 

To quell the direful fears begotten, 
They raised a clamor mid the throngs 

And filled their ears with Reverend Cotton, 
To keep their tendei* ear-drums strongs 

Not few, inflamed with phrases aptest 
Their pious learning could command. 

Styled Rliody Familist and Baptist, 
Intending for her cheek a brand: 

Defending well their sacred union^ 
Where they controlled the outs and ins^ 

Uniting state and church communion, 
Decreeing Christ and Caesar twins; 

i'ertain that only through their glasses 
Men saw the Lord, or saw his church; 

Whoever trod Mount Zion's passes^ 
Must wear the signet of their search. 

The while, with prejudiced intentions^ 
For her free limbs they forged their gyves, 

She, by her generous interventions, 
Saved them from whetted scalping knives. 



8 SOUL-LIBEETY. 

With threats and prayers they oft besought her 

To quit her rigid scripture-view, 
To cross her brow with holy water, 

And have her children sprinkled too; 

Thus, by the church regenerated, 
Aftairs would wear a happier face; — 

The church would be more venerated 
That thus monopolized all grace ; 

To sacrifice her soul-convictions 

To their grand idol — unity — 
The gilded god whose maledictions 

Control the blind community; — 

Whose dread anathemas can supple 
Each human joint from neck to knees. 

And bow each conscientious scruple, 
Just as the ruling church may please. 

Well Rhody pondered all these notions, 
Retrimmed her fire, re-sung her psalm, 

And, though annoyed in her devotions, 
Through faith preserved her spirit calm : 

Aware they purposed to oblige her 

To leave the right — by them deemed schism- 
Yet firm she stood, like good Elijah, 

On whom the Lord bestowed his chrism : 



K 



SOUL-LIBERTY. 

Bince prophets rarely reap much honor 
Among their kin, and in their day; 

Truth has reproaches cast upon her; 
Because reproved, wrong hates her sway. 

Enfranchisement blazed on her banner; 

A bold-wrought Anchor graced her shield; 
Around her fell the heaven-sent manna; 

And Hope the promised land rcA^ealed 

Befriending unsectarian knowledge, 

And freest culture of the mind, 
She gave her soil to found a college — 

The first on earth of such broad kind ; — 

Patron of sciences and letters, 
Mother of goodly tastes and art. 

Without ecclesiastic fetters, 
Yet glowing with a Christian heart ; — 

Pure as the air God breathed around her 
From ocean waves and wooded heights; 

Free as the grace wherewith he crowned her, 
She held aloft impartial rights. 

Such school, most said, would,soon diminisli 
As snow before the mid-day sun ; 

But still it wears its Brown-front finish — 
Fit proof the work was wisely done. 



10 SOUL-LIBERTY. 

Through wars and peace, and changing seasons, 
Thus Rhody and her doctrine lived, 

And notwithstanding hates, and treasons, 
And ill reports, has greatly thrived. 

Despite the taunts and jeers, courageous 
In hope she toiled, yet spoke her thought: 

At last her views became contagious, 
And marvelous conversions wrought; 

Their power, akin to holy leaven, 
Uplifting every candid soul; • 

Their mission, by the will of Heaven, 
The thrones of earth to yet control. 

E'en now how changed, in States and nation ; 

The truth, despised when poor and lone, 
Grand theme of poem and oration, 

A hemisphere is proud to own. 

Aye, Rhody's small and bleak plantations 
Have grown to be an honored state : 

Fair orb amid earth's constellations — 
By her sublime ideas made great. 

Of liberty, to-day her notions 

Forth march in songful, conquering might, 
O'erpassing mountain peaks and oceans. 

Benignant as celestial light. 



SOUL-LIBERTY. 11 

The old-time heresy has proven 
Of such superior, heaven-owned worth, 

That men now pray it interwoven 

With codes designed to span the earth. 

Lo! Williams, once in detestation 

Cast out, like the apostle John, 
Is now by joyous acclamation 

Enshrined in Freedom's Pantheon. 

For him, a stately shaft of granite 
Shall yet crown Rhody's Prospect Hill, 

Where millions shall delight to scan it, 
And catch the soul-inspiring thrill. 

Strange ! e'en his bones, in dust reposing, 
Assumed a living form and aim, — 

Heaven's fitting deed of wondrous choosing 
To symbolize his deathless name. 

His faithful compass, still sui-viving. 
True, as his conscience, to its pole. 

Type of the secret power and thriving 
Of his pure doctrines of the soul. 

Of streams that bless or vale or mountain, 
Whereof the tongue may thankful sing. 

The land boasts not a sweeter fountain 
Than cool and sparkling Williams' Spring. 



12 SOUL-LIBERT V. 

And Wliat-Clieer Rock, like Patmos-island, 

Trod by tlie lonely exile's feet, 
Is counted as a moral highland — 

Its fragments e'en for jcM^els meet. 

Yea, world-wide stirs the gi-eat discussion 
For re-constructing thrones and shrines — 

Asiatic, Mexic, Afric, Russian, 
Unfolding grand millenial signs; 

When souls shall be, each one, a temple; 

Each conscience — consecrated priest ; 
Messiah — Savior, King, Example; 

The nations from their yokes released. 

Thank God! His tnith-seeds are eternal; 

Though buried through the ages long, 
There comes, at last, the season vernal, 

And, in the end, the harvest song. 

For truth stand firm, then, honest toilers; 

Success shall crown what Heaven inspires; 
The right is mightier than despoilers; 

Ti"ue gold withstands the furnace fires. 

Mystic Rivek, Comi., June, 1873. 



LIBRARY OF CONCiHtg 

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